Robert talks about Adapting to Dentures

How did you first interact with your dentures?

For the first two to three months it just killed my social life completely because I wanted to be confident that I could do what I wanted to do in those social circles.

How did they affect the way you ate?

When you go out to a restaurant to dine you’re very conscious of ‘Shall I eat that’ and I think I will always remain conscious because your dentures don’t work the same way as your real teeth do. And I think one of the first things you do if you ate a roll with poppy seeds on, you very quickly go to the gents to make sure all the poppy seeds are cleared. You now rinse your mouth out with some water or whatever and I think that stays with you forever. You become very conscious of what you can and can’t eat.

When did you start using a fixture?

I would say in the first seven years it was a bit hit and miss using a fixative because it was predominantly a partial palette so there were alternative methods, but certainly 98% of the time I use a fixative since I’ve had the full palette.

Did your dentures affect the way you talked?

I spoke with a whistle, I could show you but I’d have to take my teeth out and I’m not about to do that!

What routine did you adopt?

I go in the bathroom, my teeth go into a fizzy cleanser whilst I’m having a bath or a shower, and then when I come out of the bath or shower I then brush my palette and my teeth and I use a mouthwash (because I want to make sure, I use a medicated mouthwash) and then I apply my fixative, put my teeth in, quick bite check, look in the mirror, “Do I feel good?